Chapter 92: Because I Won’t Do It

[Hello, everyone. It’s the first time meeting you through a live broadcast.]

[Let me say this upfront, I don’t stream games.]

[I don’t intend to do what others do either.]

[I just turned this on to chat with you while I work, so don’t expect too much.]

[If you have any questions about editing or are stuck on something, feel free to ask.]

[I’ll let you know if I can.]

-What, Racoon made another YouTube channel?
└ How many is she running?
└ Osorin, Byeolmuri, Kirinuki, Racoon personal broadcast ㄷㄷㄷ

-Racoon says she’s not becoming a VTuber, just be satisfied with the stream
└ There were so many VTuber-hopefuls in the first stream, but she firmly said no

-Wow, Racoon-nim, thank you so much. You explained the parts I was stuck on right away, it was a huge help.
└ Right? It’s much better to ask directly on the live stream and get an answer than wait for YouTube replies

[Hmm, open donations? No way.]

[You’ll just pay money to order me around.]

[How many years have I watched internet broadcasts?]

[Just watch my stream like you’re watching a lecture.]

[That’s why I’m streaming on all platforms.]

[No, that doesn’t mean you should write requests in the chat.]

-So many thirsty dudes and VTuber-hopefuls in the stream, seriously
└ Still, the mods cut them out well, so the atmosphere isn’t too bad

-Looking at the viewer count, seems like video editing is a major job category now
└ I know, right? Just listening to it like a radio, there are tons of people asking editing questions
└ Radio lololol Her voice is surprisingly nice, I don’t know anything about editing but I listen like that too lol

[Shall we start by looking at something else for a moment today?]

[A very good song came out from our company today, right?]

[Wow, the song is great.]

[I was so anxious I might hum it absentmindedly during the broadcast.]

[Is this promotion? Of course, it is.]

[The world’s first virtual idol ‘Mirinae’.]

[Please listen to the song a lot.]

[Lots of attention, please, lots of attention.]

[Ah, the members’ individual broadcasts start tomorrow, one by one.]

[It’s everyone’s first time broadcasting, so please be nice to them.]

-Already debuted?
└ Yeah, the song’s good

-Searched it, it’s already #90 on the charts? lol
└ The firepower is insane lololol
└ Normies, get out of the way

-The music video is amazing too, must have spent a lot of money. The transition between 3D and 2D is incredibly smooth?
└ Wow, for real? This is possible?

-Wait a minute, in the video description ‘MV Production: Racoon’ what the, you make music videos too???
└ ??
└ No, what is this
└ This person does graphic work now too?

[Will you show other work besides Kirinuki on stream?]

[Hmm… Among the work I do, Kirinuki is the only thing I can show freely.]

[For Byeolmuri or Osorin unnie’s stuff, I need permission.]

[Ah, you want to see complex work to study, not just simple Kirinuki work….]

[I titled it a lecture broadcast, but I didn’t think of that.]

[Then I’ll ask the unnies first if it’s okay to use for the broadcast.]

[Ah, hello Osorin unnie? Can you talk right now?]

-Thanks to Racoon, I do Kirinuki too
└ You too? Me too
└ Kirinuki is surprisingly easy, these days there are even programs that automatically find clip points

-The person who chatted gets it, I was always curious how YouTubes with lots of effects are made

-Osorin was playing a story game but picked up the call immediately lololol
└ She was discouraged because she couldn’t solve a puzzle, but brightened up right after answering the call lolol Is she a retriever meeting its owner? lololol
└ Actually, she is the owner

-After this, she showed Osorin’s previous YouTube work, and it was genuinely scary
└ The cut lines were so dense you couldn’t see the original color of the video track 

-Racoon-nim, would it be okay to start learning video editing now? I’m worried it might be too late. And I’m anxious about how long the YouTube editing industry will last.

[Hmm, I see.]

[People say YouTube is a red ocean.]

[But I think it’s still very much a blue ocean.]

[Because of COVID, internet broadcasting and YouTube are continuously rising, right?]

[Even after COVID ends, people will still watch YouTube.]

[In fact, the user base will likely increase.]

[COVID might be a short period, but it has already deeply penetrated daily life.]

[So now is the best time to start.]

[That’s why I’m doing this lecture broadcast.]

[Hmm, then shall I tell you something good?]

[It’s currently being implemented on YouTube India, but it’s coming to Korea soon, you know?]

[From now on, 1-minute videos will dominate YouTube.]

-That’s right, seems like now is YouTube’s peak golden age
└ Right? Because of COVID, all the bored people started YouTubing

-But what are 1-minute videos?
└ Like TikTok or something?
└ TikTok coming to YouTube? Ah sh*t;;

-Aren’t 1-minute videos too short? Even shortening videos from 10 minutes to 8 minutes feels short
└ Right? How do you even make a video within that time?

[Our company has grown a lot now.]

[It feels like just yesterday when the company was first established and the 1st generation debuted, but now the 3rd generation is debuting.]

[Did everyone watch the debut broadcast?]

[The members are all cute, right?]

[Unlike the 1st and 2nd generations, I don’t select them directly anymore, but the staff did a great job picking them.]

[They’re all unique and fun, so editing the official YouTube is enjoyable.]

[Besides, many other VTubers have joined our Byeolmuri….]

[I met Jina unnie before, and her smile wouldn’t leave her face.]

[Ah, you became a Byeolttongbyeol after watching Shorts?]

[Hehe, everyone, I told you Shorts would blow up, right?]

[You all should hurry up and do Shorts too.]

[Right now, Shorts are just for promotion, but later you’ll earn revenue from them.]

-Shorts are definitely great for attracting new viewers and promotion
└ I know, right? Lots of channels blew up thanks to Shorts

-Can Racoon read the future?
└ Seeing how famous TikTok is, it was obvious lol
└ Then why didn’t other YouTubers do the obvious thing? lol

-Isn’t Byeolmuri going public? Feels like this stock would never fall
└ Why would they go public lol
└ Right? Even without that, they’re the undisputed No. 1 in the Korean VTuber scene

-Earning money from 1-minute Shorts is a bit much, revenue per view would be less than 1 won
└ Right? Videos make money from ads, but Shorts don’t have that

Click click

Tap tap tap tap tap

Scroll scroll

[I definitely said Shorts would generate revenue, right? There are still many people who don’t believe me.]

Tap tap tap tap

[A new program starts next week, please watch it, everyone? It’s really fun.]

Tap tap tap tap tap

Subtitles are all done.

Next, sound effects.

Hmm….

Should I use this one?

Swipe

Click

I move the mouse, drag one of the files from the sound effects list onto the timeline box, and adjust it so the sound doesn’t clash too much with the original. Nor does it overpower it.

Scroll scroll

I turn the side wheel on the mouse to scan through the timeline.

It’s a video for the editing broadcast YouTube channel, so I didn’t make it overly elaborate.

Nevertheless, I merged the densely packed timeline into one and did a final check.

“This should be enough.”

This time, it’s not a lecture video, but one for simple chatter and a short announcement.

There was nothing lacking in the 2-minute video.

“Finished too quickly. There’s nothing else to do…”

My editing speed hasn’t particularly increased.

Simply, the amount of work has decreased.

Byeolmuri grew significantly and made its name among Korea’s major MCNs.

As the number of creators under Byeolmuri increased, so did the staff needed to care for them.

Since I couldn’t handle all the creators’ videos, I stepped back from frontline work and moved to a position where I finalize and upload videos edited by others.

In company terms, head of the editing department, perhaps.

Moreover, Osorin also started focusing her efforts on idol training and didn’t stream as much as before.

With no material, videos were uploaded to YouTube roughly once every two days.

Due to these overlapping reasons, the number of videos I actually worked on was only about ten per week.

Of course, even this is a lot compared to others.

– Sua! Isn’t my screen time too little in this video? That’s mean!

“There’s less broadcast time, so it can’t be helped. It’s not like you can skip school.”

– Ugh, the COVID times were good!

The end of COVID.

Masks were no longer required, and students had to go to school.

Son Hyeji, who dreamed of being a VTuber, became a 3rd generation member of Byeolmuri’s nurtured VTubers and simultaneously our company’s youngest VTuber.

“Is practice going well? Your debut is coming up soon.”

– It’ll work out somehow! I’ve gotten quite used to the avatar now. It’s not as handsome as me, but it can’t be helped.

“Osorin unnie probably told you, but it’s not easy for male VTuber idols to gain popularity, so don’t get too discouraged if the initial reaction isn’t good.”

– I know. It’s okay. Debuting like this is better than nothing.

The massive success of the 1st generation virtual idol ‘Mirinae’.

Contrary to the concerns of worried people, they quickly stayed at the top of the charts and showed considerable views on YouTube Music.

As a result, VTubers became known on public broadcasting and various TV channels, riding the metaverse trend to gain enormous popularity.

Heo Jintae, who dreamed of being an idol, is preparing to debut as Byeolmuri’s 2nd generation virtual male idol.

– Racoon-ssi… I think I’m going to die….

“We only have two idol groups, why are you whining already? You don’t even stream much these days.”

– I want to go back to streaming…. Uwaaah.

“It’s the path Osorin unnie chose, so grit your teeth and bear it.”

– Kkeuaaak….

A subsidiary label under Byeolmuri MCN.

Osorin took the seat of CEO for ‘Aurora’.

Aurora, a label focused on nurturing idols centered around music.

Still, the only idols they manage are ‘Mirinae’ and the soon-to-debut male idol group ‘Astra’.

Most administrative tasks are handled by other staff, but the position of CEO seems a bit burdensome for her.

– Right, Osorin does look a bit worn out. She needs to run wild a bit, but these days she’s just looking at documents.

“Jina unnie found her calling. You look even better than when you were streaming.”

– Managing people is surprisingly fun. Growing the company is fun too. We need to think about Osorin a bit.

Company management suited Jina unnie, and she looked even more energetic than before.

She even focused on growing the company through various activities, not just approving project proposals but also initiating plans herself and actively appearing on broadcasts.

And Jina unnie and I started a new project.

“My dad is having fun doing PD work again after a long time. Mom is also enjoying planning games using her past experience.”

– Really…. This project was all made by the child editor-nim. PD Lee Seongbeom, and even the unexpected cast members.

Dad, who had only been advising on company management, declared his return to PD work, saying his hands were itching.

Our company had grown enough; it was time to start regular broadcasting.

A virtual variety show helmed by Dad.
The cast was extraordinary from the very first broadcast.

– Setting aside our agency’s kids, how on earth did you get Director Kang Minseok and Actress Choi Bom?

“They owed me a debt. Gotta use it effectively at times like this.”

Although VTubers had spread widely, they weren’t yet universally known to the public.

The trend had spread to the point where ordinary people were still unsure about them.

In such a situation, having former 10-million-viewer actor Grandpa Kang Minseok and current 10-million-viewer actress Choi Bom appear on a virtual broadcast would undoubtedly create a huge buzz.

– Really, I don’t know how our company would have run without the child editor-nim.

“If you’re grateful, don’t take away my work. I’m bored because my workload has decreased lately.”

– No. The child editor-nim needs some control.

“Tch.”

‘She seems to be considering burnout or something, but I’ve never experienced that.’

Still, she’s thinking of me out of care, so I couldn’t complain.

– By the way, really, you have no intention of becoming a VTuber?

“Is Osorin unnie still saying that?”

– Osorin too, and all our staff ask that. Your friends asked too? Honestly, from my perspective, if you debuted, success is guaranteed.

“Why is everyone so interested in me…”

The attention pouring onto me somehow feels good, and the corners of my mouth lift slightly.

Still, my thoughts remain unchanged.

Because I’m an editor.

“I should record this and play it for people.”

Smiling faintly, I utter the same answer to the question I’ve heard countless times.

“I told you I’m not going to be a VTuber.”

This is my happiness.